I. Want. To. Get. These. Chapters. Out. To. You. Faster. Trust. Me.
Thnk you so much for the reviews though. I will hopefully work out something soon enough.
Chapter 11
The Lying
Eleven had enjoyed the time that he had spent with Clara and he knew that he could make it work with her, but that didn't stop him looking over at River at every opportunity that he had or lying awake at night, wondering whether he could make it up to her. There was one thing that Ten was right about it.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that they had been pushed into these agreements. He knew the circumstances that these agreements were made in but it didn't make them right. They weren't in the Regency Period. They weren't in some Jane Austen novel. Arranged marriages weren't a thing. They had learnt from all that. It just wasn't the done things now.
"I have enjoyed the last few days," Clara said, bring him out of his thoughts.
He wanted to call her a lair but he knew better than to do that. He knew that she would rather be with his brother. He hadn't missed the way she looked over at Twelve. But then he had been lying to her as well. He should have done something about this before River met Twelve and he met Clara.
He offered her a smile. "I have enjoyed the last few days as well."
The only problem was he knew that they weren't going to last.
River knew he was making an effort. She knew he was trying to make this work. She knew that she should be enjoying it. But she also knew about the little glances that he would give Clara. To her, it seemed like there was a way out of this marriage.
She didn't mind that he was making the effort. It was what the council wanted. Eleven was right. They would end up being married and then living separate lives. Twelve was a good man but he wasn't his brother. Eleven was instantly kind and sweet and likeable. Twelve was starting to grow on her but she knew that it would take a while for the man that his brother had told her that he was. By then, they would probably be living their separate lives.
She knew that she should be listening to him but her eyes wondered as she saw the one that she loved, walking the gardens again with the one that was promised to him. She tried to hate Clara. She really wanted to hate her. She was the reason that she couldn't just go off and marry Eleven. But there was something about Clara that just showed off her innocence.
As she watched them, she knew that Clara felt something for Eleven. The wide smile she gave him was one that she had seen her give to Twelve. She was ultimately falling for the one that she should fall for. She still held onto the hope that she might be able to get out of this mess. Eleven might have smiled at Clara, but River knew it wasn't a proper smile.
Twelve didn't believe in fate. Fate was just something from a book, a story. But he couldn't help to think that fate played a part when he almost bumped into Clara in the middle of the hallway. Both of them hadn't been paying any attention to where they were walking.
No, Twelve didn't believe in fate. Just the probability of it happening was very small.
"Hi," Clara said, almost bashfully.
"Hi."
They stood there, only inches apart. Twelve couldn't help but smile at her. His brother didn't deserve her. He didn't really think that he deserved her but he could see why Ten said what he did.
"How are things going with you and River?" She asked.
"Good, I think. "
"Good."
"What about you and Eleven?" He asked.
"It is going well."
"Good."
Twelve smiled again when she did. He thought that her nervous laughter was cute but he didn't understand why she was nervous around him. They had spoken many times before and she had never acted like this. He wondered whether she had the same funny feeling he was having.
"Eleven mentioned that you had done a little travelling before the war. He also mentioned that you visited Earth a few times. My mother was always a great collector of Earth books. She told me that it was the best literature. That no one wrote like the authors on Earth." Clara said.
"They definitely had their own flair."
"Have you met Jane Austin? Just she is my favourite author. I love all her stories. Pride and Prejudice is my favourite."
He held his arm out to her, which she took with a smile. He started to lead her down the hall, the destination not yet clear to him.
"I have. She was someone that I wanted to meet too."
"Really? What is she like?"
"She is just brilliant. I think that she would like you. You should ask Eleven to take you to meet her. Just don't freak out."
"Oh, yeah, I should." She said, sounding disappointed.
So she did have the same feeling as him. He didn't want to tell her to ask Eleven but realistically that was who was going to take her. He wished that he could tell her that he would take her and introduce her to Jane Austin himself. He wished he would be the one to show her the universe. If he did, he'd watch her face and eyes. He already knew that her lips would curl up into a smile and her eyes would inflate without even taking her anywhere.
"I could imagine you two now." He said, trying to cheer her up again. "Sitting there with a cup of tea in hand, discussing what you love about her books, me stopping you if you are going to give her a spoiler."
"Basil." She started before she stopped herself.
"Yes?"
She turned and looked up at him. "River doesn't deserve you."
"Like my brother doesn't deserve you."
He knew that she wanted to say something different but she knew like he did, that it couldn't be said. That was who they were going to marry. It was the council's decision. Twelve had watched how hard Ten had struggled and he didn't think that he wanted to put himself through that.
"Regency England. You would love it." Twelve said to get the conversation back to a happier subject.
